Cyclones To Face Baylor In Big 12 Championships

KANSAS CITY, Mo.- The No. 4 seed Iowa State soccer team (9-8-2, 3-4-1) heads to Kansas City, Mo. to take on the No. 5 seed Baylor Bears (10-5-3, 3-4-1) in the 2013 Big 12 Soccer Championship Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. This marks the first time the Cyclones have reached the Big 12 tournament since 2007.

Last time the Bears and Cyclones met

In the previous meeting between the two teams the game was game was decided in overtime by a golden goal from Iowa State senior Emily Goldstein. With 23 seconds remaining in the first overtime period and the game looking to be headed to another overtime period, Goldstein received a pass from freshman Koree Willer and raced by two Baylor defenders to have a chance at the winning shot. Goldstein used nifty footwork to weave through the defenders to find an open look at the goal. She didn't disappoint as she buried the goal in the back of the net to give the Cyclones their second Big 12 victory of the season.

Last time out for the Cyclones

In Iowa State's last game against the Oklahoma State Cowgirls the Cyclones took an early 1-0 over Oklahoma State on a goal by senior Jessie Reyes in the eighth minute. Iowa State rode its one goal lead until the final whistle to earn their third conference victory of the season and secure the No. 4 seed for the Big 12 tournament.

Scouting the Bears

The Bears are also strong defensively, ranking second in the conference for goals allowed (12) and goals-allowed average (.64). Baylor ranks fourth in the conference in goals scored (29) and goals scored per game (1.61). The Bears are a young team led by first team All-Big 12 honoree Bri Campos who has recorded six goals along with three assists this season.

Key matchup

The key matchup in this game will be how the Iowa State defense looks to stop the Baylor offense. Last time these two teams met the Bears fired 21 shots at the Cyclones but tremendous defense by senior goalkeeper Maddie Jobe and company did not let the Bears sniff the back of the goal. Iowa State will look for another player to step up as Goldstein did in the first meeting to earn the victory.

Results will be available on Cyclones.com after the conclusion of the game. Fans can follow Iowa State soccer's twitter account @cycloneSCR for live updates on the game.